Clothes-rack.



E. A. FOSTER.

CLOTHES RACK. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23, 1914.

Patented Oct. 26, 1915.

4 COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co wAsHmuToN. D c.

ionic.

EDNA A. FOSTER, 033 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CLOTHES-RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented (lot. 26, 1915.

Application filed November 23, 1914. Serial No. 873,444.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDNA A. FosrER, a

citizen of the United States, and resident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Clothes-Racks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to clothes racks, and particularly to folding racks adapted to be secured between a window sill and the window sash, or between some other simi lar lower and upper supporting members such as the top of a door and the door casing, so as to hold the rack extending in a horizontal position for use in drying gar-- ments or other articles.

The chief object of the invention is to provide a portable clothes rack which may be conveniently folded into a small compass for the storage, and which may be equally conveniently unfolded, filled with the articles to be dried and mounted in a window so as to project into the open air.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rack adapted to be supported on a window sill between the sill and the Window sash, and so constructed as to permit the window to be substantially closed with the rack in position.

The device is especially designed for use by the occupants of apartments and lodgings where the facilities for drying apparelare lacking or inadequate; for use by travelers; or for use generally whenever a light and convenient portable rack for small articles is desired.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiment of the invention,-Figure l is a plan view of the rack in open and extended position; Fig. 2 is a side view of said rack, the folded position of the bars being shown in broken lines; and Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on line 33 of Fig. 1, viewed in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawing, 1 represents an arm which is preferably made of a single piece of metal channeled throughout the greater part of its length, so as to provide the stiffening side walls 2, and having near its rear end a relatively broad and flattened part 3 which constitutes a rest, adapted to be held between upper and lower support- 111g members, such as the window sash and sill of an ordinary purpose of transportation or window. The side walls,

2 terminate short of the flattened rest 3 so that when in use in a window the sash may close down upon the rest to approximately its fully closed position, thus making it unnecessary to have the window open when the device is in use. The rest 3 is disposed at a slight angle with relation to the arm 1, the metal being slightly bent transversely of the arm at l, so that when the rest 3 is seated on an inclined window sill, as shown at 14, (Fig. 2) with the window sash 15 closed down upon it, the arm 1 will extend from the window sill in a substantially horizontal direction.

To the rear of the rest 3 is a handle 5 formed by bending the metal upwardly and rearwardly, thus providing not only a convenient handle for carrying the device about and placing in position, but also providing a shoulder or stop which bears against the inner side of the window sash to prevent the rack from slipping out of the window.

At the forward end of the arm 1 is a folding section 6, which is also preferably made of channeled metal, having the side walls 7 diverging toward the outer end of the folding section to accommodate the expansible frame presently to be described. The folding section 6 overlaps the end of arm 1, with the walls 7 embracing the side walls 2 of the arm; and the folding section 6 is pivotally connected to the arm 1 by means of pin or stud 8, passing through said side wa. s.

A numb-er of folding bars 9 constitute an expansible frame which is supported by and pivoted to the folding section 6 by means of a suitable rivet or bolt 10. Said bars are preferably arranged in a series of crossed pairs pivoted togetheras best shown in Fig. 1, so as to form a frame capable of expand ing and contracting to the desired dimensions. One pair of said crossed bars is pivoted to the bottom of the folding section 6 between the side walls 7, and the diverging or flaring side walls 7, admit of the wide opening or spreading of said expansible frame. The'bars of said frame are provided with a number of de iending clips 12 by which the articles to be dried are suspended from the frame, each clip being preferably permanently secured to one of the bars by awire hanger 13. I In use, the device is opened into the position shown in Fig. 1,

with. the extension section 6 and the expanslble frame 9 extending in substantially the same "plane.

I The outer end of the section 6 is provided at one side With a lip or flange 11 to afford supportfor the upper of the two bars piv- "oted' at 10, the lower bar resting on the bot- 'tom of section When the rack has thus been opened'into its extended and expanded position, the user fastens the desired articles to be dried by means of the clips 12,

and then places the device between, the sill and iwindow sash, Cor "betweencsome similar lower and upper supportlng members, in

' the mainnerbest shown in Fig.2. The wide,

fiatrest3 permits the said upper and lower supporting ,members 15 and l ltotbe practically closedtogether, the shoulder of handle 5 prevents the rack fromrslipping out- 'Wardly, and the broad,-shallovv rest 3 prevents the rack from tilting or turning in its support. i

into compact relation.

1 claim I ',1. A rack comprising an arm made of a single piece of metal channeled throughout the greater part of its length, having an in- "tegral' handle extending from its rear end, and aflattened partto form a rest between said handle and said channeled part, and one or more folding bars supported at the forward end of said arm.

metal, a folding section of channel metal overlapping;the end of said arm, the side walls of-said foldingsection being pivoted to. the side Walls of-said arm, ,and a number of folding bars pivoted to the bottom of said foldingsection and supported thereby. .Azrack com-prising an=arm, a relatively broad,,shalloW rest .at therear end of said arm,-a shoulderaatthe rear of said rest,,and ahandle extending rearwardly from said shoulder.

Signed by meaat Boston, Massachusetts, this seventeenth day of November, 1914.

' EDNA A. FOSTER. Witnesses:

ROBERT 'CUSHMAN, 'RIGHARD zW. HALL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained'fonfive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner .of Patents,

7 Washington, D.- C. 

